The chair of the state Assembly's oversight and gaming committee says hearings will be held this year on the prospects of bringing casino-style gambling to the Meadowlands.

"Hopefully in the very near future we'll be conducting hearings into the potential of having a casino in the Meadowlands vicinity, and I think we see some positive feedback on that," Assemblyman Ruben Ramos, D-Hoboken, told NJTV recently.

Ramos' comments breath some new life into the proposal, which seemed squashed earlier this year after a plan to create a 13-member commission of lawmakers to study the expansion of gaming outside of Atlantic City was abandoned.

In January, Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney said the plan was "going nowhere."

Ramos told NJ Today's Mike Schneider that he's confident lawmakers will study the proposal in 2012, likely convening a hearing to collect testimony from experts and members of the public.

"Hopefully in our spring session we'll be able to do that," he said. "Definitely by the fall we'll have some hearings to look into that."

Opposition to the proposal stemmed largely from concern over its impact on casinos in Atlantic City. But New Jersey legislators may be feeling an increased sense of urgency as lawmakers in New York work out a deal to expand their own casino footprint to seven Las Vegas-style facilities across the state.

What do you think? Is bringing a casino to the Meadowlands the right thing for the region? Would you go? Let us know in the comments.